BC Housing has confirmed that many co-op members are eligible to claim a BC Temporary Rent Supplement (TRS).

You may be eligible to claim the TRS if you live in:

• A federal section 61 program co-op and you do not already receive a rent supplement
• A federal section 95 program co-op and you pay the maximum unassisted housing charge
• A federal ILM program co-op and you do not already receive a provincial rent supplement from BC Housing
• A HOMES BC co-op and not receiving a subsidy — see this COVID-19 bulletin
• A co-op developed outside of any federal or provincial housing program (e.g. Community Land Trust co-ops)
• A co-op originally developed under a federal section 61, section 95 or ILM program that no longer has a CMHC operating agreement, and you do not already receive a subsidy to reduce your housing charge

Members in provincially funded co-ops and members already receiving rent supplements or paying government-subsidized housing charges are not eligible.

Other eligibility criteria apply to all tenants and co-op members.

We have received inquiries from co-ops and co-op members about how to interpret the TRS guidelines found HERE.

Here is a short translation guide for housing co-ops.  For your purposes:

• “Landlord” means your co-op
• “Tenant” means a co-op member
• “Market rent” means the co-op’s maximum unassisted housing charge for each unit type
• “Government operating funding” does not include any payments directed to a co-op from CMHC

CHF BC is grateful to BC Housing for being so fair and flexible in establishing that co-op members qualify for the TRS.

Co-op members can APPLY HERE.  Co-ops then complete the second part of the application.  Bear in mind that the program is not retroactive, so you will need to apply by the end of each month to receive a payment for that month’s housing charges.  BC Housing’s turnaround time on depositing payments in co-op accounts is very fast.

Update: as of June 19, 2020, the province has extended the TRS until the end of August 2020. People who have already applied do not need to reapply.

Questions can be directed to BC Housing at 778-452-2836 (Lower Mainland) or 1-877-757-2577 (Toll free) or to CHF BC at members@chf.bc.ca.